Tag Archives: Port Lincoln Ospreys

Branching at Collins Street…sea eaglets return hungry to the nest. Wednesday in Bird World.

Good morning, everyone,

Today is Remembrance Day. All across Canada, friends and family are honouring those that gave their lives in the many wars since ‘The Great War’ – which was supposed to end all wars. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we lived in a world of fierce cooperation, caring for one another, caring for wildlife.

Speaking of caring for wildlife. Those individuals who worked so hard – Brian Collins, Debbie Campbell, Robert Kellam (amongst hundreds of others) to stop the harvesting of Menhaden so our ospreys could survive are outraged. No science. Nothing. You are now witnessing the extinction of ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay and area. I felt like someone ran over me with a truck when I heard that no one listened to the presentations supporting the ecosystem and our beloved Osprey. Surely 151 jobs in Reedsville, Virginia, are not worth destroying this beautiful landscape.

Debbie Campbell posted this.

Infographic over a school of Atlantic menhaden stating that advocates’ voices were ignored, with a 9% coastwide catch reduction for 2027–2028 and a 99.5% chance of exceeding the fishing mortality target.

We woke up to 0°C temperatures. The forecast even shows that we could have snow! I am not ready for that. My arthritic left leg is not ready for that! I am so grateful for Toby. What a sweet little dog he is. He doesn’t like cold, damp weather either. Out for business and curled up in the chair. No demands for long walks on days like this. I think we might make a fire in the woodstove. ‘The Girls’ always love that! Maybe Toby will, too.

Thank you, as always, for your love and support. It means the world to me and lifts me up when the days seem to be crashing in. I haven’t given an update on Don because it’s been such a roller coaster. One day we are having a conversation that could have happened in our conservatory pre-August 27, and another day, Donald is terribly confused. It is the life of someone caring for Lewy Body Dementia. Alzheimer’s has a downward trajectory. LBD -the brain function is the very last to go – while the ‘body’ falls apart.

There is no hope that Don will ever walk again. He still remembers walking, and that is dangerous. Yesterday, Don had blood work taken and was panelled. Panelling is the process of determining if an individual requires long-term care and then what type of unit they would go into. There are three levels: normal, special, and special behavioural unit. The latter two deal with increasingly violent individuals. Don was panelled to go into a normal care facility. We are so happy! I do not get to pick the home. I have a first choice: Riverview. It is very close to our home and would make it easy for Toby and me to visit. Because it is considered to be the gold standard, there is a very long waiting list (1.5 years, presumably). There are 37 other homes scattered across our City. I just hope that when our lottery comes up, the home is full of kindness and love and close to where we live. Until then, he will live in his current hospital room. An opening could happen tomorrow, in a week, or in several months. We do not know. Sadly, someone has to die, and there are others in front of Don in line.

SK Hideaways has sent their video listing!

SK Hideaways Videos Week of 1 November 2026

367 Collins Street Falcons ~ Melbourne, Australia ~ F24 & M24, eggs hatched October 1, 2 & 5
Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project | Melbourne
South Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibsohQ14cY
North Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKk0ivuWe4

Very sadly, the second female has also contracted trichomonosis and will not survive. As of 10 November, the male still appears to be healthy.

Chick #1 is Very Unwell ~ 2 Healthy Chicks Take Time to Be Near~ 2026 Nov 4
As reported by Dr. Victor Hurley, chick #1 appears to have a Trichomoniasis infection. The video includes his entire statement. The unwell chick is not yet showing severe symptoms, so I wanted to bring you some endearing footage of the two healthy siblings spending time with chick #1, as well as the chick’s current state. This allows me to inform and educate before her disease progresses. I will continue to report on the chick’s progress in my typical sensitive fashion. Having said that, even this video may be disturbing to some viewers.
Video: https://youtu.be/J4jBSjSIe4E


Sydney WB Sea Eagles ~ Australia ~ Lady, Dad, SE37, and SE38
Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park (https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/video.html)
Nest cam also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWYBNX02Q-A
Disclaimer: while I refer to SE37 as female and SE38 as male, their genders are not actually known.

SE37 & SE38 REUNITE! Lady & Dad Deliver Celebration Feast ~ 2026 Nov 7
On SE38’s homecoming day, SE37 stayed out exploring till late afternoon. When the two came together, they had a mini-honk fest and everything returned to normal. That’s when the celebration really started, as Dad brought in a bream, which 38 immediately claimed for himself. Lady soon brought in a gull for 37. There were poignant moments of Lady feeding first 37 and then both eaglets. Just as they finished the first gull, Dad brought in a second. It was quite the food fest. When day turned to night, the two eaglets came together in the nest.
Thankful for these post-fledge moments, as we never know when our time with SE37 and SE38 on camera will end. So grateful for having the opportunity for as long as it lasts.
Video: https://youtu.be/ax8qh1BGq90

SE38 RETURNS with BIG FISH Welcome! ~ 2026 Nov 7
When Lady brought a big whopper to the nest, she may have purposely been luring SE38 home. But whatever the reason, the sea eaglet, who fledged 2 days before, returned and had that big fish all to himself. Meanwhile, SE37 watched from her perch high above the nest and then went out exploring. SE38 was content to remain in the nest and get a well-deserved rest.
Video: https://youtu.be/h5i5KTrj84I

SE37’s Big Night Out with Lady ~ Returns to Nest for Zoomies & Sleep ~ 2026 Nov 5
SE37 perched near the nest after fledging. Lady arrived late afternoon with supper and SE37 experienced dining out for the first time. After digesting and having a think, SE37 took the leap and flew back to the nest like a pro. She stayed the night and, as I post, has been there all day as well. SE38 has been heard but not seen on camera. Hope to see him again soon.
Disclaimer: while I refer to SE37 as female and SE38 as male, their genders are not actually known.
Video: https://youtu.be/qizkp0hdhl4

2 Fledges + 2 Semi-Fludges = A Busy Day for SE37 & SE38 ~ 2026 Nov 5
A blustery day brought on fledge fever. SE38 went back and forth between the nest and the fledge tree twice beginning at 6:32. On his third trip to the fledge tree, a wind gust unbalanced him, causing him to slip. He ended up on a tree to the right of the nest.
SE37 was exercising her wings when a gust took her by surprise and off she went, ending up on a branch just to the left of the nest at 12:46.
They will likely rest where they are for awhile before attempting to relocate. We hope to see them on the nest again before they take off on their life adventure.
Video: https://youtu.be/AHxhsBWpLaY


Two Harbors Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA ~ Cholyn & Chase (28 years old; mated pair for 23 years)
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI

Cholyn Calls at Sunset ~ Moments to Remember ~ 2026 Nov 3 & 7
From a few days ago, just a simple little video of Cholyn on the historical nest calling out as a beautiful Two Harbors sunset unfolded. Chase didn’t answer her call this time, but they were seen together after this particular evening, including today. I included a clip of today’s meeting on their sofa, chortling their sweet hearts out.
Video: https://youtu.be/xZYnrU-54hM


West End Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA ~ Isla & Lee (newish maybe couple)
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | West End Eagles Cam Ops
Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14
Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT1adgYSfbcqI
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCGyi19a6J4

It appears we’ve had another residency change at the West End. Lovely Narasu has not be seen  since 5 November and it’s possible that a previous resident, Isla has returned. Time will tell if we see an actual breeding season here.

Masked Visitor at Nest ~ Where are Narasu & HG ~ 2026 Nov 5
Never a dull moment at the West End territory on Catalina Island. What appears to be a large sub-adult female got comfy on Narasu and HG’s nest twice today (so far). We saw two eagles on the far tor after the end of this video. Happy to entertain visitors, but really enjoying Narasu and HG here.
Video: https://youtu.be/c2gOgaYCMWA

Narasu & HG Nest Palooza ~ She Aces Tug-o-Wing & This-Fish-Is-Mine ~ 2026 Nov 1
As we get to know Narasu and HG*, it was great to have them on camera all day so we could observe and learn. This day-in-the-life video shows the extensive nestorations they’ve done to the nest I’ll always think of as Thunder and Akecheta’s, who would be proud of the work these new residents have done.
It also shows 4-1/2-year-old Narasu taking charge about “owning” food that comes into the nest. It appeared that HG may have brought her a pigeon gift, but we can’t be sure if it was meant as such or if he’s learned that all food is hers. More nestorations and then Narasu brought in a large Garabaldi, which she wasn’t about to share, but did eventually give HG a bite (in a very touching moment).
At day’s end, they went to the night roost, like other eagle pairs have always done. Fingers crossed they settle in for nesting season in a month or so.
*HG stands for Handsome Guy, a nickname given to the male until the couple mate and produce.
Video: https://youtu.be/hAfZ0gO7euQ

Narasu & HG Spectacular Soaring ~ She Lets Ravens Know Who’s Boss ~ 2026 Nov 1
Narasu and VE3 (Visiting Eagle 3) or HG (Handsome Guy, my preferred nickname) were out and about on a lovely West End morning, soaring all around the tors. Later, Narasu landed on the overlook to observe what she seems to have claimed as her territory when two pesky ravens began taunting her. The 4-1/2 year-old beauty held her ground. The ravens blinked first and flew off. Narasu is a 2022 hatch from Twin Rocks nest, also on Catalina Island. HG is unbanded
Video: https://youtu.be/umBt9R4FJ-g

The good news continues at the Olympic Park WBSE nest in Sydney where SE37 and 38 continue to return to the nest ravenous for food!

Close-up of a bird of prey's talons gripping a small fish on a leaf-covered forest floor
Two juvenile birds perched on a tree branch in a dense forest
Two sea eagles perched on a large nest in a eucalyptus forest

Oh, what a beautiful sight.

At 367 Collins Street, the female is still alive. Can she beat what killed her older sibling? Send positive energy. She is not robust, but she has eaten some. The male is preparing to fledge. He branched today! He seems not to have been impacted at all, thank goodness.

Remember – the cameras at this site are turned off once both chicks fledge.

City skyline and riverfront viewed from a high-rise, with pigeons perched on the window ledge

Across my city, we have geese feeding on the lush green grass. Don can watch them fly into Sturgeon Creek from the dayroom at the hospital. The rivers are still open.

Hawk Mountain is still counting as migration continues.

Table listing raptor species with weekly totals, season totals, and 10-year averages, including a total of 407 weekly sightings and 18,443 season sightings.

And last, but never least, we have an update on Ervie and Giliath!

Screenshot of a Port Lincoln Osprey social media post discussing tracking updates and two male ospreys.

Giliath:

Satellite map of Port Lincoln, South Australia, showing yellow flight paths around Boston Island and Lincoln National Park.

Ervie for the last three weeks:

Satellite map of Port Lincoln and surrounding coastline with yellow flight paths connecting Boston Island, Louth Bay, and Tumby Bay.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Keep watching – Bald Eagle eggs are starting to appear, and we are on egg watch for Gabby and Beau.

I will return next Monday. My plan is to post once a week until we have little eaglets!

Thank you to SK Hideaway for their great videos, to Debbie Campbell for leading the fight to save the ospreys, to Hawk Mountain for posting their count, and to the others who posted on FB, and the owners of the streaming cams – we are forever grateful for alerting us to the activities of our beloved birds.

23 October 2026

Hello Everyone,

It is hard to imagine but Toby and I are sitting on the deck in our shirt sleeves, so to speak. It is nearing 24 C. Of course, this troubles me, because we continue to get clues that our climate is rapidly changing around the world. Geese are plentiful on the sports fields at the schools as the green grass continues to grow. In my lifetime, I wonder, will the geese stop migrating? Certainly some eagles continue to winter here as they can get fish from those doing ice fishing on the lakes, but maybe that water won’t freeze?

I’m still so grateful for all the warm wishes and support you have given Don and me during this very challenging time. ‘The meeting’ was held yesterday (Wednesday – I am writing this Thursday night). Ann and I were well prepared with nine pages of questions and, as it turns out, Don’s oldest friend, Andrew, was visiting, and I asked him to sit in. The ‘bottom line’ is that the Haldol injection has caused the Parkinson’s aspect of Lewy Body Dementia to raise its ugly head. Don can walk 10-20 steps and becomes wobbly. He will spend his life in a wheelchair with no hope of ever walking again. That is an adjustment for both of us.

It seems that no one prepared for the Baby Boomers. Home Care has more demand than staff. They offered me little, and with Don requiring two people to lift him and be present, I can’t care for him at home. It is simply not safe for him or me. No beds are available in long-term care facilities. So, Don and his new friends on the ward will spend their time in the hospital waiting for a space to open. Today, another patient’s daughter played her keyboard, and we sang along, and I told stories about a very young city girl moving to the Canadian prairies and raising animals on a small holding. With Toby there, everyone smiled and sang, and there were even some laughs. I have decided that Ann and I will enrich Don’s life in different ways, and we will also be keen observers so he is safe and well cared for. If the ward nurse allows, the plan is for some planned enrichment activities weekly, which I will organise. Fingers crossed – but first I have to get that wheelchair.

Not much is going on in Bird World. Dr Sharpe – yes, dear Dr Sharpe- is climbing cliffs and working on cameras at the eagle nests in the Channel Islands. He cleaned and repaired Chase & Cholyn’s at Two Harbours and was set to work on the camera at the West End today. They always clean the nests and check them!

‘J’ has sent some news stories from Berlin that you might be interested in:

There is some Kakapo news!

Announcement of two young kākāpō arrivals at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, highlighting conservation efforts and a new habitat trial.

More about Albatross from Holly Parsons:

An albatross in flight, showcasing its wingspan against a blue sky.

Here is the link to that short but very informative video: https://youtu.be/SRTRRMwXuEg?

Tim Mackrill has installed an osprey platform at Knepp Farm as part of their rewilding project. Here is the latest newsletter from Knepp Farm. Please listen to the podcast about the osprey platform!

News from Knepp The Jays Busy AutumnDownload

What constitutes a perfect place for an osprey nest? If you don’t know or need a reminder, please have a listen.

One chick, out of two hatched, is surviving at Thistle Island in South Australia. No one knows what happened to the second hatch.

An osprey chick named Nick or Nicky stands in its nest on Thistle Island, surrounded by twigs, with the ocean in the background.

Weather is on the mind of Victor Hurley and the 367 Collins Street falcons. Why? Because the gutters could flood – we don’t want those babies to drownd.

A weather forecast map displaying regions in Victoria, Australia, with varying levels of thunderstorm and rainfall predictions. Areas are color-coded to indicate the likelihood of thunderstorms, including possible and likely severe thunderstorms.

Speaking of weather and its impact human life as well as wildlife – this typhoon is the worst ever.

Satellite image of Super Typhoon Champi displaying a well-defined eye surrounded by swirling clouds and intense colors, indicating strong winds of 185 MPH.

It continues to be hot on that ledge in downtown Melbourne.

A peregrine falcon perched on a ledge, with two chicks in a nest visible in the background, overlooking a cityscape.

SE38 branched the other day at the Olympic Park WBSE nest in Sydney. Keep watching. Fledging at any moment.

A nest situated in a tree with two young birds, surrounded by greenery.
A surveillance image of two birds resting on a nest in a tree at night. One bird is perched on a branch above the nest.

That’s it for today. I am pretty burnt out – mentally and physically – about the decisions that had to be made regarding Don’s long term care this past week. Because it is pretty quiet in Bird World, I am going to take a break. I will be back in a week. During that time, I urge you to get outside away from the screen, listen to birds, go for a walk or just sit! But get outside.

Take care everyone.

Thank you so much to ‘J’ and to all those who posted information and images on FB, to Isabella Tree and Tim Mackrill for a great podcast on ospreys, to BBC Earth for that little but informative video about Albatross and to all the owners of the streaming cams that let us monitor our avian families.

Sunday in Bird World

11 October 2026

Greetings Everyone,

Wow. It was sunny and 24 C yesterday. People were out in shorts and T-shirts, working in their gardens, playing with their children at the park, or walking their pups. It was incredible for mid-October. Today, we woke up to 5 C, icy grey skies, a cool wind, and drizzle. Cold-to-the-bone weather. Toby and I bundled up and did our loop to the park, around the park, and home again. It was so nice to be out of the cold wind.

In the garden, the Crows and Blue Jays were the first to arrive for their morning peanuts and seed.

This is an ‘odd-looking’ image of Junior. He is flicking out the peanuts from the feeder that don’t meet his specifications! Amazing how many failed, but the squirrels picked up. The Jays and Crows weigh the peanuts and will only take the heavy ones (meaning good).

A blue jay perched near a feeder filled with peanuts, with a blurred background of greenery.

Now there are only two grey squirrels. I have, sadly, not seen Dyson since the middle of the summer, and I know that two of her kits were hit by cars on the street. Oh, it makes me so mad that people have to drive like they are in a Formula 1 race down a street where children play, and squirrels run across the road because the City cut down their trees. (They could have vaccinated the trees – after much consultation, I know my neighbours would have joined together to make certain the more than 100-year-old trees survived!). There are still two Red Squirrels. So the count is: 7 Blue Jays, 3 Crows, 2 Red and 2 Grey Squirrels, 1 raccoon, and several hundred songbirds. Not bad. I wonder when the deer will start visiting the feeders?

One of Dyson’s kits. Their mother was precious, and she was at least nine years old. That is ‘super elderly’ for a grey squirrel living in an urban environment. We adored her, and I miss her just like everyone on my street misses dear Brock.

A close-up of a gray squirrel holding a nut next to a decorative garden stake, surrounded by seeds on the ground.

Tomorrow is SK Hideaway’s birthday – give a big shout-out. I don’t often know birthdays, but besides tomorrow being their special day, it is also Thanksgiving in Canada – and I can tell you that I am more than grateful for their thoughtful videos and the list I receive to post for you.


SK Hideaways Videos Week of 4 October 2026

367 Collins Street Falcons ~ Melbourne, Australia ~ F24 & M24, eggs laid 23, 25, 28, 30 August

Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project | Melbourne 

South Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibsohQ14cY 

North Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKk0ivuWe4

Chicks Scatter in the Heat ~ Sadly One Sweet Chick Succumbs (2026 Oct 10)

The four chicks are 8, 7, and 5 days old today. Peregrine falcon chicks begin regulating their own temperature at 10 to 14 days, so even in today’s moderate temperature ~ around 20°C (66°F) in Melbourne ~ the little ones felt the heat. First one chick escaped to the gutter (a first at this age) and before long, the other 3 were scattered around the nest. A frantic F24 was racing to and fro in her attempt to shade all of them. Happily, the entire nest was in the building’s shade by just after 13:00, but tragically not before one of the little angels succumbed to the sun exposure. As we wish that little one peace, we embrace the three healthy chicks that remain. F24 and M24 are excellent parents, and I wish them continued success raising their offspring with the skill and proficiency we’ve seen from them in past years.

Video: https://youtu.be/bLMyQZJEjEU

CHICK RIDES MUM’S FOOT TO LEDGE ~ A 150-Second Adventure (2026 Oct 7)

When dad M24 brought the second pigeon in two hours time, mum F24 immediately took it to the pantry. But with four floofs under her, one got caught up in her foot and was inadvertently pulled out towards the ledge. The little one pined for its warm, cozy floof pile till mum returned and quickly pulled him/her back into the fold. She’s amazing. 

Video: https://youtu.be/ae1Y7eVKCsE

Chick #4 Joins the Party! Congrats On a Full House,  F24 & M24 (2026 Oct 5)

F24 and M24 have this breeding thing down to an art. Four successful hatches over 4 days. Looking forward to seeing the abundance of fabulous falcon fluff transform into beautiful juveniles over the nest 6 weeks or so.

Video:  https://youtu.be/hov8CNFqyjU

FOBBVCAM Eagles  ~  Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Shadow (12 years), Jackie (dec. 10 August 2026), KD-1 (Kaydee 4, years), Sandy, and Luna (last seen on camera 23 July 2023)

Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley

Nest Cam:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE 

Wide View Cam (Cam 2):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq4VzCYc4

Live Recap & Observations:  https://bit.ly/4wGjwVg

Shadow & Kaydee’s Flirty Nesting Hour as Her Black Spots Get Smudgy (2026 Oct 9)

When Kaydee arrived at the nest this evening, she had zero interest in shuffling sticks or aerating mulch. That is until the moment she saw Shadow approaching. Then she became very animated and interested in sprucing up the nest. There was a fair amount of beaking and bumping before the flirt fest culminated in Kaydee giving Shadow’s tail a little nibble. Also interesting to watch Kaydee’s dark markings changing over time. Feeling very lucky to have a ringside seat to this fascinating story.

Video: https://youtu.be/75hb03ScWCE

Sydney WB Sea Eagles ~ Australia ~ Lady, Dad, SE37 (hatched 13 August), and SE38 (hatched 14 August)
Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park 
Livestream and chat: https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/video.html)
Nest cam also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4pdgy3-U0

Eaglets Join Lady & Dad’s Morning Duet ~ Perplexed by Piggyback Ride Finale (2026 Oct 6)

Lady and Dad perform a duet most mornings and occasionally later in the day as well. SE38 decided to sing along this morning with SE37 on harmony. The parents sometimes get a little frisky at the end of their duets, which left the eaglets wondering. A little later, cam ops gifted us with some lovely close-ups of the eaglets.

Video: https://youtu.be/wC77KKiBo8M

Two Harbors Eagles ~  Catalina Island, CA ~ Cholyn & Chase (28 years old; mated pair for 23 years)
Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops
Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI

Chillin’ with Cholyn ~ 28 Years Young & More Beautiful than Ever (2026 Oct 4)

A dazzling Two Harbors sunrise prefaces this stunning view of Cholyn taking in her habitat. She chortles at something that catches her eye, then departs to take care of eagle business. At day’s end, Cholyn and Chase serenade us as a glorious sunset ends their day. Breathtaking.

Video: https://youtu.be/Z1oKVXKMgJg 

I know that there are Bald Eagle nests that get much attention, but surely at 28 years old, we should be paying more attention to Cholyn and Chase!!!!!

Will today be hatch day at Orange?

A camera captures a dimly lit view inside a falcon nesting box, with a falcon resting on the gravel floor.

Lots of food coming to the ledge at 367 Collins Street! Send them your best wishes…they tried so hard and those poor babies scattered due to the heat.

A peregrine falcon standing on a ledge with its chicks, one chick is visible while the falcon holds a prey item. In the background, a city skyline can be seen.
A night view of a city skyline with various illuminated buildings. In the foreground, a bird sits next to its chicks on a ledge, while urban structures are visible behind them.

A lot of people are wondering what will happen to the dead chick. There are two possible scenarios. A parent will remove it from the nest, or they will feed it to the siblings.

At the Olympic Park WBSE nest, Mum flew in with an eel and more prey later in the day. SE38 had first chance at the eel. Things are fine on the nest as the number of visitors to the area decreases as the weekend ends.

A close-up view of a bird's nest situated in a tree, featuring two young birds resting inside the nest made of twigs and branches. The surrounding foliage is visible, providing a natural habitat.

A black and white image of a bird's nest. Two young birds are visible in the nest, surrounded by sticks and foliage from a tree. The scene appears to be taken from a surveillance camera, showing the time and date in the lower corner.

It looks like it will be an ‘Only’ osplet at Thistle Island in South Australia and that is fine – better one healthy chick than three hungry babies!

Adult ospreys standing on a nest at Thistle Island, surrounded by branches, with a body of water in the background.

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon – which will probably be Tuesday as tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Toby and I will be spending it at the hospital.

Thank you to SK Hideaways for their great video playlist, to everyone who posted information and images on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams or those who take photos of our bird families; we are eternally grateful.

The dirty of farmed fish…Friday in Bird World

9 October 2026

Good Afternoon Everyone,

It is a ‘grey’ day, heavily overcast, in Winnipeg. There were a few drops of rain on our walk. The birds, especially the Dark-eyed Juncos, are busy foraging. Mr Crow and family are enjoying pizza leftovers after finishing their peanuts in record time.

The final comments on the Canadian company Omega Protein’s menhaden reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay are due by midnight today. It’s easy to add your voice to help save the ospreys. I will include that information below. The New York Times ran an article today on the dirty truths about farmed fish. As you might be aware, the Menhaden that the ospreys depend on to live is gill-netted, ground up and sold as – yes, get this – fish food! Please do not eat farmed fish. There are many reasons, including but not limited to the use of antibiotics. In fact, with fish populations declining, warming seas, and our fish-eating birds dependent on what remains, we should stop eating fish and eat more legumes. Eating beans is much healthier for the planet!

Here is the link to the article: The Dirty Secret Behind the Farmed Fish You Eat

Forced labour, rancid waste, harmful chemicals. What to know about the seafood that could end up on your plate.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/08/magazine/farm-raised-fish-aquaculture-overfishing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVE.8wyo.8mDNa9_Os5K5&smid=em-share

This is all you need to send your submission to demand at least a 50% reduction in the Menhaden quota. Be sure to include the subject-line wording and the opening statement, then add your personal observations. This does not need to be long – just to the point about the osprey deaths and the need for a reduction or a moratorium and no more studies – enough studies have been done to know. That is just putting off the inevitable. Thank you!

E:mail: jboyle@asmfc.org

Subject Line: Addendum 1 Comment for the Public Record”

Dear Sir:

 “I support Addendum II and the most restrictive options.”

Put your name and address at the bottom.

Here is another group working on the same issue. Their deadline is 19 October.

A large fish leaps out of the water, creating splashes as it is pursued by an osprey.
A social media post from The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey discussing the importance of Atlantic menhaden for ocean ecosystems, wildlife, and fisheries. The post includes a call to action for public comments on fishery management.

Oh, another way to kill birds is to trap them in Halloween webbing. Please don’t use it and kindly advise others against!

A Halloween-themed graphic featuring a tip about keeping artificial spider web decorations indoors to protect birds and wildlife. The image shows a web with an artificial spider and includes text discussing the dangers of entanglement.

M15’s new female friend has finally joined him in the old nest tree. Androcat got it on video: https://youtu.be/sQcH0KFZrRY?

Here is a great comparison for the size of the male and female at 367 Collins Street. And there is a lot of food – those little floofs should be growing like crazy. Just think in less than 30 days they will be ready to fly. Yes, seriously.

Two peregrine falcons on a ledge with a city view in the background, one falcon is sitting while the other is standing over a small chick.
A peregrine falcon feeding its chicks on a ledge of a high-rise building, with a city skyline in the background.

We are on pip watch at Orange.

A peregrine falcon resting in its nest box, surrounded by pebbles, with a view of the landscape visible through the open window.

It is a warm fuzzy feeling when you see a tiny osplet eating fish. Congratulations, South Australia, on your first hatch of the season.

An osprey chick waiting to be fed on a nest at Thistle Island, with a coastal background featuring blue water and rocky shore.

Such good camouflage but so adorable…SE 37 and 38 with their juvenile feathering.

Two young birds in a nest made of twigs and leaves, surrounded by greenery.

Migration count at Hawk Mountain:

A table displaying bird species with their weekly and season totals, as well as a 10-year average for each species.

Knepp Farm reports that one of its White Storks has broken a migration record. Have a read!

Our Record-Breaking Stork: Sussex to Senegal!
One of this year’s juveniles has just set a new migration record. Hatched at Knepp on 12 May this year, this young male fledged in late June and set off on his very first migration soon after. By late September, he had reached southern Senegal, the furthest south any of our birds has ever travelled, to our knowledge at least. Until now, our record was Morocco. This stork has flown thousands of kilometres further, crossing the Sahara and continuing on into the Sahel. 
We’ve been able to follow every stage of the journey thanks to the tracker fitted before the bird fledged, tracing the exact route from Sussex to West Africa. 
This is part of a bigger step forward for the White Stork Project. This year we’ve started using new tracking technology that is much cheaper than the satellite tags we’ve used in the past. Because those tags were so expensive, we could only fit them to a small number of birds, but the lower cost of the new devices means we can now follow far more of our storks than ever before. In total, 44 have been fitted with e-rings, which use nearby mobile phone signals to send us their location. 
It’s quite possible that some of our untagged storks have flown this far, or even further, in previous years without us knowing. Now, with so many more birds tracked, we’re finally able to see it. It’s hugely exciting that this new technology is already proving so useful, and we can’t wait to see what else it reveals about our storks’ remarkable journeys.

Oh, thank you for being with us! Please do send in a comment to everyone trying to save the osprey. Those in power need to know the world cares!

Thank you to everyone who posted information and images on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams. Thank you to Hawk Mountain and to Knepp Farm for keeping us informed on all migration news. We are absolutely grateful for your help in letting us view these amazing avian families.

Late Monday in Bird World

5 October 2026

Hello Everyone,

It is 16:38. The sun is far over in the west, casting a magical glow over the garden. The wind is just beginning to pick up as the birds arrive for a late meal before settling in for the night. I know where the Crows nest, the squirrels’ dreys are in the park, and the Blue Jays stay in the tree across the back lane, but where do the sparrows and Starlings go? It is an eternal question.

One starling is looking for ‘dog food’ kibble that Ann gave to me for the Crow family.

A bird with a mottled pattern is standing on a tray filled with seed, surrounded by greenery.

Toby and I had some amazing walks today. Perfect weather – 16 degrees C. The leaves were dancing around on the sidewalk. Toby loves chasing them! He sometimes looks grouchy, but he is anything but. What a sweet little lad he is and what comfort.

A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on a leash, standing on green grass with fallen leaves.

I am so sorry that I made so many people cry. It was not my intention. Yes, our situation feels rather dire, and it certainly wasn’t what anyone would expect. No matter what I do, I cannot change the impact that it had on Don’s life. His doctor, Dr Classen, believes there is a possibility that he might be able to come home if he can get near to the mobility that he had when he went into hospital. Life right now is so uncertain, and all I can do is wait and take things one day at a time.

So for now, we will begin decorating our spaces for Thanksgiving and Don’s all-time favourite holiday, Halloween. He made mechanical figures and put them on the porch of our Victoria house ‘back in the day’. Those sculptures often made the local newspaper. And there was nothing more wonderful than dressing up and handing out treats – it was always magical.

Tomorrow’s treat will be pumpkin pie – it is the season!!!!!!!!!

In Melbourne, it is hot. Mum at 367 Collins Street is panting and trying to keep her babies cool.

A view of a city skyline featuring various buildings on the left, and on the right, a close-up of a peregrine falcon sitting on a nest with chicks.

Mum and Dad are sleeping on the nest tree in the Olympic Forest, all the while protecting SE 37 and 38.

Two birds perched on a tree branch in the dark, with a nest and two eggs visible in the foreground.
Two young birds standing in a nest made of twigs and leaves, perched in the branches of a tree.

Gimbir takes over incubation from Diamond. Gimbir is the great provider! Cilla Kinross identified the prepared morning’s prey as an Eastern Rosella.

We are ready for hatching. Stay tuned, or you will miss it. Here is the link to the box cam, side view: https://www.youtube.com/live/gnF7_gRHHMQ?

A peregrine falcon in a nest box, gently tending to its eggs on a bed of gravel, with a view of a green landscape outside.
A falcon inside a nesting box with three eggs on a bed of pebbles. A second falcon is partially visible on the left side of the image.

There is some really good news coming from Nikki Redman and Fran Solly in South Australia:

A collage of images showcasing an osprey perched on a wooden post, featuring different angles and one image of the osprey in flight.
An Eastern Osprey named Phantom sitting on a post near the Bay of Shoals on Kangaroo Island, showcasing her satellite tracking device and leg bands.

Black Stork migration news from Maria Marika:

Post about the migration journey of black storks from Italy to Africa, detailing their crossing of the Mediterranean and the Sahara Desert.
Map showing the Mediterranean region, highlighting routes from Mali through Algeria and Tunisia to Italy, with clearly marked lines in green and red.

‘The Rookies’. California Condors are preparing to be released into the wilderness after hatching at several zoos in California. Here is the link to their live-streaming cam: https://www.youtube.com/live/1u6rKUrUot8?

A large animal visible behind a metal cage with green trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

Here is the Condor Roost for those living in the wild. They can feed on the lead-free carcasses provided by Ventana Wildlife Society. Here is the link to this camera: https://www.youtube.com/live/QQdF-8CVSC0?

Several large birds perched on a dead tree with a blue sky in the background, surrounded by rolling hills.

There are a number of other cams, including nest cams, that are currently offering Highlights.

There will be a lot of fundraising going on – it is that time of year. There are calendars galore including the one from Idris and Telyn’s nest at Dyfi.

Cover of the 2027 Dyfi Osprey Project calendar featuring an osprey on a nest with mountains and a sunset in the background.

There is also the book about Aran and Mrs G from Glaslyn that is written by Kathryn Keir and illustrated by Penny Albright. Funds will be used for the streaming cam for Aran’s new nest. Will provide information as it becomes available but I am so looking forward to this offering!!!!!!

An osprey still in the UK.

An update about the osprey 5B7, highlighting its current feeding location in the Dart Estuary and expressing appreciation for the sightings and photography from Rupert Kirkwood.
An osprey perched on a log with a fish in its talons, surrounded by green foliage.

UK Osprey Information FB is looking for a new banner:

An osprey with outstretched wings stands on a nest made of sticks, surrounded by greenery.

That’s it for today. Please take care everyone. Keep checking on Diamond and Gimbir’s scrape in the water tower at Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia. Hatch is coming.

Thank you to everyone who contributed information and images on FB, to those who created videos and wrote content, and to the owners of the streaming cams – we are eternally grateful.

Pip Watch at Melbourne…Late Tuesday in Bird World

29 September 2026

Hello Everyone,

Jeff Kear and team has put together a great summary of all the action in the UK osprey live streams (and some others). Here it is!

2026 SEASON

You might be able to get past the paywall to read another article on ospreys disappearing in the NE:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/09/27/ospreys-are-disappearing-along-east-coast-scientists-think-they-know-why/?linkNumber=8&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=

Red Kites are being shot in the UK – really, can’t the gamekeepers help themselves?

Red Kite dies after being found with gunshot injuries in Peak District National Park – Police appealDownload

There isn’t much going on in Bird World. Ervie and Bradley both showed up at the barge nest. Many wondered what they would make of the two eggs. Gosh, I wish Ervie would find a mate, and there was food for the ospreys, so we could see him be a great dad! We’ve been waiting…Ervie.

A bird's nest made of sticks and branches containing two spotted eggs, with a piece of plastic visible, against a backdrop of water.

Incubation continues at 367 Collins Street where we are now on pip watch! Diamond and Gimbir will be a little later.

A peregrine falcon resting on a ledge covered with gravel, overlooking a cityscape filled with modern buildings.

Bird Parenting gives us a close up of Lady feeding 37 and 38: https://youtu.be/Oy9dHcEMwFM?

Something nice: Dani Conor Wild did a great video of 300 Cedar Waxwings clearing berries off the trees in Northern Sweden. Have a look! https://youtu.be/9O7uGnE5LNw?

I keep trying to keep my wits about me. It is great to have The Girls and Toby, as well as all the Blue Jays, in the garden. Nature can really turn a rough day into a smoother one. Since I last posted, the furnace decided to go on a blink. Turns out the thermostat’s internet connection set everything in motion, but in the end the motor was going (are they really set to fall apart once the warranty is up?) and a new furnace will go in on Thursday. No one wants to live in ‘Winterpeg’ without heat. We have been known to be colder than Mars, but this year is the Super El Niño, so how will that impact us? Milder, they are saying. We wait.

Toby continues to steal the hearts of people in the hospital or the bank. He is adorable. I am so grateful for the great days I have gotten to spend with Don as he works hard to recover.

An elderly man in a wheelchair sits by a wooden table wearing a blue hospital gown. He has glasses and gray hair. A colorful quilt covers his lap. In front of him, a small dog in a red jacket rests in a pet carrier.

Thank you for being with us today! It is time for Toby to have a nice walk. We hope to be back with you as soon as there is hatch at Collins Street. Take care.

Thank you to everyone for their videos, their posts on FB, to Jeff Kear – your group is amazing, always grateful for that great data – and to the owners of the streaming cams, thank you as always, for letting us watch these amazing bird families.

Late Wednesday in Bird World

23 September 2026

Hello Everyone,

I’m reading Alan Stewart’s Prelude to Murder. If I hadn’t been so tired, it might have been a book I’d consumed in one long binge read. The combination of a murder and wildlife atrocities – and the people who commit these – boggles my mind. Aberfeldy is the setting, and it is very close to where I would go and fly hawks when I stayed in Scotland at Hospitalfield on an artist’s residency. Stewart also wrote other books on raptor persecution, including The Peregrine Thief, which is excellent.

A handful of ospreys were still hanging about. Cowlitz’s dad is still feeding a chick. Many are concerned or curious about why these two are so late leaving for their migration. It is good to remember that ospreys migrate because their food source is diminished. With climate change and habitat loss, ospreys may begin to stay longer in specific northern regions where fish are plentiful, and the weather is changing. We continue to have ospreys in Manitoba, for example. The geese are now beginning to fly low in the mornings to find grassy areas and fields to forage. In the evenings, I can hear the honking, and they look for a safe place on the water for the night. (They can sleep in the water and not worry about predators!)

Here are some articles on osprey migration that might be of an interest to you:

https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-raptor-research/volume-48/issue-4/JRR-14-00035.1/The-Spring-Migration-of-Adult-North-American-Ospreys/10.3356/JRR-14-00035.1.full

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354609516_Autumn_migration_of_Ospreys_from_two_distinct_populations_in_Poland_reveals_partial_migratory_divide

https://www.lrwt.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/Day%203%20Migration%207-11.pdf

https://watermark02.silverchair.com/condor0715.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAmQwggJgBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggJRMIICTQIBADCCAkYGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMnfkxSYsVFpY-E9PuAgEQgIICF-aYpVRzH6B4aaKe3cl2amjY9LnQTbKN-2fGwA_-eQ1RRRE36DTSGbOn-1mmg1_VAVNAUs7tub_f9lVOTH5ifOGOy0s1K0c38Dnlv-DkiEmM9jy9mPSZMP5YkcaYabKGLtmgdLour7EVCKM7WI0Ewx5TragKXQaly5Tox95YAc5Ml_teb38wJqcpU18sQTTsDiIVfSdA0HKCfqKD9tdTiarK-Wl9cpEidFeEntW9zx9m_cA_nvvCKPzffFoQQO2m7uIJOpRZ3MWDAPygqCf6CEWZQ8pj_ZExeVsfUM6WkVaJVWZooujGMDjea2ibcz8Z5jfvVf6AB79-gkbf68CjHvYfkLjk3-SNNOsdhRmFqpAOESlPMcrfiCspZdKdezRd4BVAutMM-AS7qqa_fybfR7iJt06EGU80U3lt016snCQz52Fr1vzmw3gbFiAcroSlQEvGVgvsia31nf4zrETx6-W9ZHhi-ETPI7nkyq0oJOW4KWrJWwMXixO_k-vXUhqErgxBJjLUof-ues_XT1ryRCVkLaMbvfGuHvm-mYUwqOb2vmz4Sa1TAwGbo-0pnBRZrQ9BPF0vYK0wp4dioPgm3LkV4l6jLU59rdvrd2FXghh4oUlWnvhi7VAPQNzQy1PcD8lDAj9Cu85Uup7BT1yIyudrVN3coHdWJ4YMJbLUL3SxL6Y6-4Bolvsro1sBtZkxG–qca6jy3M

Oh, romance is in the air in South Australia as Bradley is courting Partney.

A scenic view of a South Australian Osprey nest on the Tumby coast, featuring two Ospreys, one perched on a platform and the other on the nest, with a tranquil ocean in the background.

Well, Bradley, I wish you were Ervie!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of lovely tributes to Iris:

A collage of images featuring ospreys, displaying different poses and activities, including one perched on a nest and another in flight.

For the first time in a week, no ospreys at Kielder. Read the latest news:

Nest 4 news and more

Just look at this beautiful female osprey photographed in the UK yesterday by Tim Munsey:

A collage of high-detail images of ospreys in flight and near water, showcasing various angles and moments of close encounters.

More beautiful birds – Audubon’s 2026 award winners:

The 2026 Audubon Photography Awards: The Top 100 | AudubonDownload

Latest migration from Hawk Mountain:

Table displaying bird species with their weekly totals, season totals, and 10-year averages.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourselves and happy autumn!

Thank you to everyone who wrote about osprey migration, for those who posted on FB with information, we are always grateful, and to the owners of the streaming cams, we are so thankful to you for allowing us to watch these families. I am always grateful to Hawk Mountain for their great counters!

Late Monday in Bird World

21 September 2026

Hello Everyone,

It is very late- 22:00 on Monday evening. It’s been a beautiful, albeit very busy, day, so I hope this post is interesting but brief. It is all about fish!

This is the latest post (from Bart M) about the events that have unfolded at the Port Lincoln barge where the osprey nest of Mum and Dad – the place where our dear Ervie and Giliath hatched and who, thankfully, have thrived. Let’s hope that continues.

” 21 September 2026

What is happening at Port Lincoln?

Just like last year the parents have left the nest, with the eggs unhatched.

We are not 100% sure why, but we can offer plausible causes.

The main cause is that there is not enough fish brought to the nest by Dad. We’ve seen Mum fishing herself a couple of times the past weeks (since 8 September), which in itself is a sign that she’s is not getting enough fish.

On 19 September she leaves the barge, with the eggs being 26 and 23 days old.

So why is Dad not bringing enough fish?

Is it age related?

There is no evidence of that. Just a few weeks ago, when Mum was having her ‘affair’ with Ervie, he was able to bring lots of fish per day, convincing Mum he could do his job.

There is evidence of there not being enough fish in the bay: Fishermen in Port Lincoln are saying the fishing is so poor, they are leaving their boats out of the water. Also other nests are suffering, like the white tailed eagles nest. And we see Ervie and Giliath fishing further away on the GPS trackers.

The cause?

The past years the temperature of the water has been rising, and this leads to two things:

1) In 2025 there was a big bloom of algae, and a toxic one, killing thousands of fish and other marine wildlife and also this year there is a lot of algae blooming again.

2) Fish will head into colder, deeper, water, making it harder for osprey to catch them.

And when there is not enough fish, the instincts kick in.. stress levels rise and Mum abandons the eggs. Note she only laid two eggs in the first place, which is already an indicator.

She (and Dad) will probably incubate the eggs for a while.. also instinct: Eggs! Incubate!

But the eggs won’t be viable anymore.

Last year showed the embryos died just prior to Mum leaving them for a day. So even a couple of hours without incubation was enough.

Could the fish fairies help is a question in chat?

Of course, but that would take a lot of resource, both money to buy the fish, and people bringing the fish to the barge. And PLO would have to do that for a whole season, until even late in December. That is just too much to ask and not sustainable. Note that in 2024 only on 29 days fish were actually supplemented.

So is there nothing we can do?

Not for this season, and not for Mum and Dad on the barge.

But we can shout to the world and everyone around you that we as a people must take better care of our world. This is a sign we cannot ignore, and it’s not only here that it is happening. In a lot of places, all over the globe, Osprey and wildlife is suffering because of climate change.

And we can only hope nature in the Port Lincoln area will adept and recover, so next year there will be more fish.. and we can enjoy the sight of new little osprey on the nest.”

I was shocked this evening to find that the topic of Menhaden, the primary fish for many ospreys in the NE United States, was central to a post by a leading chef based in Paris!!!!!!! I have cut and paste what was said in Spilled Milk #499 by Andrew Zimmerman in :

The Choices We Make Are Killing Us

I am off to NYC today to attend UNGA81 for Climate Week, to learn, listen, share my experience and try to make a difference with all my United Nations, nonprofit and NGO partners. And I can’t shake this brilliant op-ed by Mark Robichaux in The Washington Post.

Robichaux is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, fisherman and author, which is an unusually useful combination for this subject. He understands both how to follow an institution and how to read the water. His piece is about Atlantic menhaden, an oily little fish most Americans have never heard of and almost none of us eat. Which is precisely why this matters so much.

Atlantic Menhaden: The Small Fish Holding Up the Ecosystem

Menhaden are forage fish. Striped bass eat them. Bluefish eat them. Tuna eat them. Whales eat them. Ospreys eat them. They are one of those unglamorous species upon which glamorous species depend.

Robichaux points out that researchers studying Chesapeake Bay ospreys found reproductive collapse in high-salinity areas where menhaden are an important food source. The researchers carefully stopped short of proving that commercial menhaden harvest caused the decline but made a superb case that reduced menhaden availability is a primary driver of poor reproductive performance.

Meanwhile, we keep removing staggering quantities of them. Ocean Harvesters, whose catch supplies Omega Protein’s Virginia reduction plant, harvested nearly 300 million pounds of menhaden in 2024. That’s about 70 percent of the Atlantic coast harvest. Much of this extraordinary biological resource is turned into fish meal and fish oil for aquaculture, livestock feed and supplements.

Think about the absurdity. We are removing one of the foundational foods of the Atlantic ecosystem so that we can grind it up and feed it to other animals. And increasingly, we learn that we don’t have to. We are literally devouring our own planet. Gobbling it up until nothing will be left.

Microalgae and the Alternatives We Already Have

Microalgae naturally produce the same long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, for which we prize fish oil. Algal oils are already commercially viable ingredients in aquaculture and research shows they can replace substantial amounts, sometimes all, of the fish oil in certain feeds without sacrificing growth or fish quality.

The remaining problems are principally economics, formulation and scale. Those are solvable human problems. We are really good at it.

That distinction matters because this isn’t really a story about menhaden. It’s about us. We have developed an astonishing habit of identifying damaging practices, developing alternatives and then continuing the damaging practices anyway.

That is an ideal definition of insanity.

I am so pleased that the plight of the ospreys and the need to protect our oceans, rivers, and lakes/lochs has been brought to the attention of such a diverse group of individuals. Hearings continue. Politicians need to be ‘buried’ by your letters and e-mails. Now is the time to speak up. Do not be shy. Write a heartfelt letter about your observations, nests that you loved that failed due to a lack of fish. Make it personal because this is personal – we all love our fish hawks. Just imagine how you would feel if Iris sat on her nest starving to death before you and you had done nothing? Again, now is the time to write to your politicians. Read Andrew Zimmerman’s blog closely – maybe you will want to sign up for his free blogs?? – it might give you some ideas for writing your own letter.

Here is another article. This is ‘Save the Bay’.

https://www.cbf.org/stories/how-many-more-osprey-chicks-must-starve-to-death/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUe0XZwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMW01eWJmdld6b29OVkVmYWVzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEevskjpWei7J9v3Z1RuC1JeA_LWn2QoKOKy9FI2tCE72vtJ9pHkaR4ObITmss_aem_niTo52ceZDWK15wl5mlPjA

People who want to protect menhaden from industrial fishing by Omega Protein can write to environmental conservation groups, state legislators, and fisheries management commissions, campaigning for stricter catch limits.

Where to Write and Contact

  • Save Menhaden Campaign: Visit Save Menhaden to sign petitions and contact local representatives.
  • Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF): Write to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to support conservation studies and tighter restrictions in Virginia waters. This is the article above that is ‘Save the Bay’.
  • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC): Submit comments directly to the commission responsible for managing Atlantic menhaden quotas.
  • Virginia General Assembly: Write to local Virginia state delegates and lawmakers to urge legislative action on industrial reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.

Thank you so much for being with us today. I will be back later in the week with our good news stories!

Take care everyone.

Thank you to everyone for their posts, their articles, and the will to save the fish for the Ospreys – Menhaden do not need to be chicken feed!!!!!!!!! Thank you also to Open Verse where I found the image of Menhaden!

Photo Credit: “Brevoortia patronus Goode, 1878 – Gulf Menhaden” by Crabby Taxonomist is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The Sad and the Glad…Sunday in Bird World

20 September 2026

Good Morning Everyone,

My days are the type of routine that underline there is a change but that life goes on, just day by day, not knowing what will happen. Toby and I get up and feed the birds. By the time Toby and Hugo Yugo settle on the old sofa and the cat tree in the conservatory, the Blue Jays are flying in, little squirrels are running along the power lines to then jump into the lilacs and find nuts, while the songbirds begin landing on the leafless limbs of some of the trees. This is the scene we watch every morning while I sip my coffee.

It has always been this way, with the exception that Don was sitting at the table drinking his tea and trying to count the Blue Jays and squirrels or me. His seat is now empty, and I do not know if he will ever join us again.

An orange cat lounging on a cat tree while a black and white dog relaxes on a beige sofa, both positioned near a window with foliage visible outside.

It is difficult. But more about that another day.

This blog was meant to be about ‘good things’, but ospreys in South Australia are abandoning their eggs, as they have in the NE United States and Eastern Canada (NS, in particular). Today, Mum finally stopped incubating the eggs on the barge at Port Lincoln because of a lack of fish. We also saw the issues related to the lack of food at the Osprey Environmental Centre. This is, sadly, widespread. Fran Solly tells us that Ervie and Giliath are having to travel farther and farther to find fish.

We are witnessing what warming waters, droughts, and overfishing are doing to our feathered friends that depend on the fish. Red Algae blooms are in the area of Port Lincoln, causing havoc.

A bird's nest made of twigs on a wooden platform near the water, with a yellow and black striped object resembling a snake coiled around a railing.


SK Hideaways Videos, Week of 13 September 2026

367 Collins Street Falcons ~ Melbourne ~ F24 & M24
Courtesy Victorian Peregrine Project
South Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibsohQ14cY
North Facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKk0ivuWe4

F24 & M24 Flawless Changeover ~ Bonus: M24’s Laps Round 367 ~ 2026 Sep 16

367 Collins St. Falcons ~ F24 (female) and M24 (male)

F24 and M24 have incubation changeovers down to an art. She is doing the bulk of the incubation and he is doing the bulk of the hunting. After a short incubation stint this morning, we saw M24 doing laps around the building, presumably hunting. Did someone say the fastest animal on earth? Whoosh!
Video: https://youtu.be/jwJhbaxKMa4
FOBBV Eagles ~ Big Bear Valley, CA ~ Jackie, Shadow, Sandy, and Luna

Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley | California

Nest Cam:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Wide View Cam (Cam 2):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41eq4VzCYc4
Live Recap & Observations:  https://bit.ly/4wGjwVg

Shadow & Kaydee Greet the Dawn ~ 2026 Sep 19

A stunning sunrise and symphony of chortle-snortles began a lovely day for Shdow and Kaydee. We were lucky enough to watch it all unfold.

Video: https://youtu.be/TFzVMkpgE5M

Shadow & Kaydee’s Eventful Morning ~ Fish Sharing Not Happening ~ 2026 Sep 16
Shadow and Kaydee spent another night together on the roost tree ~ Kaydee cozying up a bit at dawn before departing. They went their own ways for a couple hours, then Shadow brought a fish to the nest with Kaydee in hot pursuit. She didn’t have a chance to try to share as Shadow made it crystal clear that this was *his* fish and *his* fish alone. Kaydee remained on the front perch till Shadow gulped down the fish tail. She then cautiously entered the nest, where she and Shadow spent a short time together. Kaydee nipped Shadow’s tail and there was some beaking, but Shadow seemed to want to be on his own today. He departed, while Kaydee remained on the nest for another two hours. Another day, another adventure. 
Video: https://youtu.be/bvJyHjfo0VA

KAYDEE’S FIRST STICK! She Showers Shadow in Beakies & Nibbles ~ 2026 Sep 12

Kaydee brought the first stick of the season to the nest. When Shadow arrived she seemed excited about her accomplishment and nibbled his beak, then his feathers, which he accepted. It was quite a change in dynamics from the previous day. 
Video: https://youtu.be/ZA4JA6tfchQ

 Sydney WB Sea Eagles ~ Australia ~ Lady, Dad, SE37 (hatched 13 August), and SE38 (hatched 14 August)Courtesy Sea-EagleCAM@BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park (https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/video.html)
Nest cam also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4pdgy3-U0

Lady is Perfect Sun MUMBRELLA for SE37 & SE38 ~ 2026 Sep 14

 Lady deemed it necessary to shade her seaglets, spreading her gorgeous wings over them to do so. SE37 and SE38 were of two minds about it: while the shade was nice, it was pretty toasty under all those beautiful feathers. Also included is some close-up footage of SE38’s glorious crop.

Video: https://youtu.be/up0XxUSNUCQ

SE38’s Happy Eel Meal Deal ~ Leaves Wee One with HUGE Crop ~ 2026 Sep 12

When SE38 steps up for a good meal, there’s a collective cheer throughout the fan base. This was one of those days. Lady and Dad have brought a few eels to the nest, providing great nutrition for the seaglets. SE37 eats first, then SE38 sometimes, but not always, steps up to eat. This was one of those days in which SE38 ate very well. It was a joy to behold.
Video: https://youtu.be/qMUP6PbcjO

Updates from Window to Wildlife updates including Connie and Clive:

https://youtu.be/DjOMrgXe_Lk?si=TZo-CAmQyMMJ8U1a

And all the way from Berlin, our happy moment for today – a story about Black Robins. Thanks, ‘J’.

Text excerpt discussing the conservation efforts for the black robin species, focusing on Old Blue, a pivotal female bird in the breeding program.

Thank you for being with us today. It appears that our dear Iris has now left the Hellgate Canyon are on her migration. This is one of the last, if not the last, image of her on the baseball lights. We will wait anxiously til April for her and Clarke to return.

A series of stadium floodlights with several birds perched on top, including one large bird with a long tail.

Thank you to SK Hideaways for their videos covering so many nests this week. Please check them out! And to everyone who posted on FB, to ‘J’ for the story of the Black Robin, and to Windows to Wildlife for their update – and all streaming cam owners – we thank you, too.

I am exhausted. Changes to the house continue in case Donald is ever able to come home. If not, they will be there for me or someone else. With the lack of ospreys in Australia, the news is very thin as we wait for hatch at Collins Street and Orange. Please continue to watch the WBSE – they are adorable and growing so fast. How will changes to the water impact these eagles who also depend on fish amongst other prey?

Late, late Friday in Bird World

18 September 2026

Greetings Everyone,

It is very late on Friday night. Toby and I have been at the hospital for most of the late afternoon and very early evening. What a delight it was to talk to Don’s ‘neighbour’, Heidi. Heidi is a walking history book – born in Lubek, Germany in 1942. She told me how, when the wall went up, her mother stuffed food and treats in her pocket because she knew Heidi and her friends were crossing a little ditch into ‘the East’. I told her how I spent time woodfiring pottery in Mecklenberg. The region of Mecklenberg is also home to many, many lakes with ospreys!!!!!!!!!!! We learned something from one another. As for Don, he has been given a drug that appears to have had a dramatic negative impact on his independence. I am hoping that miracles do happen.

Toby just lives his best life at the hospital. He loves everyone and now stops and chats – after three weeks, long-time patients recognise him. A sweet girl starts waving a wand when we come through the locked door to Don’s ward. Toby always loves chatting with her and getting some pets. One of my greatest joys is seeing him bring happiness to others – and I am so thankful that we had him trained to be a therapy dog so he can be shared with them in hospital or in care homes. He is an incredibly ‘good’ dog – he only barks with other dogs. Is it some kind of canine symphony? or when he sees ‘a cat’ out in the garden and it is not one of his sisters. He does not jump or scratch or lick without getting some kind of signal from the person (that signal I have to work out – it is like a silent yes going through some sound wave I cannot here).

Still best friends. This is every morning…if it didn’t happen, I would worry. It is their way of getting to eat breakfast together as long as their waitress brings their plates!

A calico cat sleeping on a perch beside a sleeping dog on a soft surface. The scene features sunlight lighting the room and a view of greenery outside the window.

But, enough…is Iris still here?

The latest Iris ever stayed in Missoula was September 11th. She is still there, as far as I can tell! Remember all the comments about Iris looking tired and a bit dishevelled? I am pleased that she is staying later and eating a lot of fish to build up her system so that her migration and return are successful.

An image showing stadium lights with a bird flying by, capturing a moment when Iris, an osprey, exits the lights.

A compilation all about Iris:

An osprey, named Iris, standing on a wooden post while eating a fish, with a blurred natural background.

Charlie is still at Charlo, too!

A bird perched on a wooden post overlooking a scenic landscape of fields and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Missing Idris and Telyn along with their cute kiddos? Dyfi have put together videos like no one else!

Screenshot of the Dyfi Osprey Project YouTube channel, featuring a grid of video thumbnails organized by year from 2011 to 2026.

Geemeff’s last summary:

Final daily summary for Loch Arkaig Season Ten: Friday 18th September

A few little birds thought about paying a visit then changed their minds – neither nest looks very appealing in the prevailing wet grey conditions. Our Osprey family are well on their way to their wintering grounds after a very successful season. Dorcha returned early on 4th April and both Garry and Aurora returned on the 7th, stopping in first at Nest Two before going to their own home at Nest One. But then we waited, and waited, and Louis didn’t arrive. It was getting tense and people were starting to write him off and then like magic, he turned up on the 17th looking fit and well and ready to start the new season right away. While Garry and Aurora got off to a slow start eventually producing just the one egg which didn’t hatch, Louis and Dorcha produced three eggs and hatched three chicks. Sadly the third chick faded away after only five days, but the other two grew big and strong and fighting fit. Perhaps a bit too much fighting, despite a steady supply of 481 fish from Louis and 5 from Dorcha, however both females went on to fledge and migrate and their feisty natures should stand them in good stead for their future prospects when seeking nests and mates of their own. The season ended on 4th September when Louis paid a final visit to the nest, and we wish them all fair winds and plenty of fish, and look forward to seeing the adults back next spring for Season Eleven.

WTS George will post this season’s highlights video here in due course, and then the comments will close until that glorious day next March when they reopen and we all return for Season Eleven. Meantime, you can join fellow followers of the Arkaig Ospreys on Facebook or over at Adam’s site, and chat about all things Osprey over winter:https://www.facebook.com/groups/829595230542720https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/

Many thanks to Woodland Trust for installing the nest cams and providing us with such a thrilling look at the wild world of the Ospreys while protecting our precious ancient woodland for the generations to come. Thanks also to the People’s Postcode Lottery for sponsoring the nest cams, and to everyone who participates and makes this forum such a friendly and informative space. Farewell until Spring 2027!

Season Ten 2026:

April 4 Dorcha arrives N2 12.21.56

7 Garry LV0 arrives N2 08.56.13

7 Aurora 536 arrives N2 13.38.44

12 Western Arkaig male JJ4 arrives N2 18.50.08

17 Louis returns! N2 17.57.42

18 Louis & Dorcha are reunited 06.37.28

26 First egg for Dorcha & Louis 06.56.29

29 Second egg for Dorcha & Louis 05.34.12

30 First egg for Aurora and first on Nest One in six years 19.18.37

May 2 Third egg for Dorcha & Louis 03.12.24 

June 1 First chick hatches! 12.40.39

3 Second chick hatches! 06.21.54

6 Third chick hatches 00.49.09

11 Sad death of little Chick3 10.00+

12 Dorcha disposes of the body in the forest 08.09.00

14 Aurora’s egg deemed unviable

July 8 Chicks ringed 8P6, 8P7, both female 

14 Chicks named Amber 8P6, Juniper 8P7

28 Fledge! Amber finds her wings 13.15.40 

29 Fledge! Juniper finds her wings 17.44.03 

August 8 Dorcha’s last nest visit 16.19.03

11 Dorcha seen off-nest

13 Amber last seen 19.37.44 

14 Aurora last seen 08.55.46 

16 Amber seen off-nest 

17 Garry last seen 09.34.53 

22-27 Aurora seen in Poole Harbour

September 4 Juniper last seen 08.28.16

4 Louis last seen 14.11.07 

1JW seen nesting in Spain at the Pego Oliva Marsh 

Seasons One to Nine highlights:

2017  https://youtu.be/1q-YUOB5y4g

2018  https://youtu.be/5-ihSqZbv_w

2019  https://youtu.be/0581sPj0_RY

2020  https://youtu.be/l30udB0KKcE

2021  https://youtu.be/01RR3gk-KAo

2022  https://youtu.be/FCzFusezbtM

2023  https://youtu.be/9uWupO0G9tY 2024  https://youtu.be/pgLrWvnETSY

2025  https://youtu.be/-kK4vb1OTiw

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Heidi would like us all to turn our attention to Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln osprey barge:

A split-screen image showing various scenes related to an osprey nest. The top left features a view of a pole with the ocean in the background, while the top right displays the osprey nest containing eggs. The bottom left focuses on an adult osprey perched on a rope, and the bottom right contains notes and graphs related to egg timings and observations.
A Facebook post discussing a live streaming osprey nest in Port Lincoln, Australia, detailing the history of egg abandonment by the mother osprey and the current situation regarding feeding challenges faced by the parents.

I am saddened by what happened at the nest of Hope and George at the Osprey Environmental Centre, and I hope fish fairies fly in to help Mum, Dad, and the kiddos. I am certain we can all help buy fish from our cookie jar stashes!!!!!!!!

It is the first time I can recall so much attention being placed on the importance of Menhaden. It is wonderful, but is it too late? Anyone reading my blog knows that I abhor any company of any nationality, including my own Canadian ones, wrecking the environment and an entire ecosystem! I really hope gillnet fishing will stop – everywhere.

Map showing Smuggler's Point and surrounding coastal areas with annotations indicating location.

Sea Eaglets are growing and getting beautiful feathering. SE37 still dominants the meals and sometimes SE38 has to wait but Lady is doing the best she can!

Two young birds in a nest made of twigs and leaves, with a timestamp in the corner.
A nest with a fluffy white chick resting on green leaves, surrounded by twigs and branches, and an adult bird standing nearby.
A close-up view of a sea eagle nest with several fluffy, downy chicks resting on a bed of leaves and twigs.

Dinner with Buzzards:

Country diary: Dinner time for the buzzard family is not a dignified affair | Kate Blincoehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/18/country-diary-dinner-time-for-the-buzzard-family-is-not-a-dignified-affair?CMP=share_btn_url

Toby and I can attest that raptors’ eating habits are anything but organised. We have witnessed them plucking on our Japanese arch, on top of the fence, with feathers and fur flying in every direction when the wind blows. Lately, we have sadly been finding grey squirrel heads near the park where we like to walk.

The Reds seem to escape the tyranny.

Lots of sparrows at the feeders.

A flock of sparrows feeding on a bird feeder filled with seeds and peanuts, surrounded by green foliage.

The island was moved today and I just left the mess so tomorrow is going to be a day of ‘surface cleaning’ til Melissa gets here on Monday. I hope to have a short report for you with the ‘good news’. If not, it will arrive Sunday evening.

In the meantime, get outside. Enjoy the crisp autumn air. Go for a walk if you can. If not, breathe in what feels like really clean air. I love the smell of fallen leaves as you walk over them. They often remind me of my university days, heading off to the football stadium in Norman. It is interesting how scents/odors can transport us to another time and another place.

Thank you so much to Geemeff for that final summary on Loch Arkaig for the Woodland Trust, to those who posted images and information on FB, to the individuals fighting for Menhaden and saving the ospreys, to The Guardian for its environmental and wildlife reporting, and to the owners of the streaming cams – we are grateful.